Argentine fans push FIFA for replay after 'corrupt' referee

Argentine supporters, described as "Argentijnse", have filed a petition with FIFA to replay the WK-finale after Argentina's loss to Spanje. The petition cites a "controversial and corrupt" performance by the referee and references Lionel Messi and his teammates as central to the grievance.

Volgens Gisela Sanchez, a fan who created the Change.org petition, the Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic issued decisions that favoured the Spanish side. She points to the red card shown to Enzo Fernandez as a pivotal moment that left the Argentijnen a man down.

Ferran Torres scored for Spain in extra time, delivering a second world title for the nation. The goal, credited to Torres, sealed the WK defeat for the Argentine side.

Within a few hours the petition attracted more than 61,500 signatures, showing rapid mobilisation among supporters. De rapid growth of sign‑ups underscores the depth of disappointment across the fan base.

FIFA is unlikely to order a replay, as matches are rarely replayed solely on supporter dissatisfaction. De governing body would only consider a new match if clear rule violations could be proven.

A second petition, titled "Argentina Out", seeks to permanently exclude Argentina from future World Cups. It accuses FIFA and the refereeing panel of bias in favour of Lionel Messi and the Argentine squad.

The broader campaign has amassed 23 million signatures from 170 countries, coming close to the Guinness World Records tally held by Jubilee 2000. De sheer scale of the response highlights global engagement with the issue.

highlighted the story, noting it was almost a week after the loss and describing the petition as a Google-favorietHet topic. FIFA has not yet responded and is expected to maintain its stance of non‑intervention.